


Angels With Scaly Wings 2: A Cry From Humanity

by InsurrectionAlpha



Category: Angels with Scaly Wings (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsurrectionAlpha/pseuds/InsurrectionAlpha
Summary: (Sequel to Alternate Reality) Tyler, Anna, and Sebastian are drawn to the human world after Tyler receives a message from his father. On arrival, they are pulled into an adventure that crosses the world in an effort to save it, while Tyler and Anna intend to seek answers from Tyler's Father. Facing a world where allies are few and their enemies are as limitless as they are ruthless, they are forced to rely on each other to survive a world that is falling apart, and find a few unsettling clues that not everything is as it seems - either here or on Dragonland. The big question on their minds - Can Project Failsafe save Tyler's home?
Relationships: Anna & OC
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter One: The Message

**Angels With Scaly Wings:**

**Season Two**

**A Cry From Humanity**

Episode One

The Message

Two years. It had been two years since the conclusion of the war with Majestic Twelve. Immediately following, Tyler and Anna took a six month vacation. That vacation was the best either had ever taken; not only did they see the absolute best of each other, they were hailed as heroes and came closer together than they ever had before. On the last day of their vacation, Tyler asked Anna to marry him in full view of everyone - Remy, Sebastian, Adine, Bryce... even Emera was present. Anna was visibly surprised, but happily accepted without hesitation. The wedding ceremony was an exact replica of the wedding Tyler saw in his vision when he first met Anna. They both were overjoyed. They both were far beyond happy for this moment in their lives. They exchanged their vows, put rings on each other's fingers, and when the time came when they were proclaimed husband and wife, Anna and Tyler kissed like they'd never kissed before. Anna felt elated to be a married dragoness. And the fact Tyler - the human with dragon eyes and dragon blood - was now her husband... it made her heart soar. Tyler had come a long way since Anna met him - he'd gone from a tormented loner to her savior to a hero and now was her husband. After the wedding and honeymoon, Anna and Tyler got a new task from the council - study of that alien outpost that Majestic Twelve took over on the moon.

So that's what Anna was doing in this lab room on the top-most deck. She was analyzing a new batch of logs the former-MJ12 Humans had decoded. Tyler had run down to the mess deck to grab some coffee, and was actually due back any minute. Anna reached for the radio when her wedding ring's glint caught her eye and caused her to look at it. She smiled, and had a soft chuckle. Even almost a year and a half being married to Tyler, she still was getting used to seeing that ring on her finger. A hand tapped her shoulder, and she looked to see Tyler holding a cup of coffee. "Oh, thank you, honey," Anna thanked him as she accepted the cup. She took a sip and looked to her husband. He was sipping on his own coffee. "You got iced coffee again, didn't you?" she asked.

Tyler smiled and shrugged. "Ironic, considering the nuclear winter wasteland hellscape I came from," he chuckled. "So... what are we looking at?"

"Oh, just some R & D documents on weapons development and some more stuff they were gonna have dragons working on," Anna responded. "Though there were some interesting references to something called 'Atriox'. Can't figure out what that is, yet."

"Atriox... Atriox..." Tyler repeated.

"Let me guess - sounds familiar?" Anna asked with a grin.

"Ah, bite me," Tyler growled amusedly.

"You sure you want me to?" Anna shot back. They both shared a chuckle, then a kiss.

"I hate to break up this sentimental moment, you two, but you're both supposed to be off-duty right now," came Sebastian's voice. Tyler looked over and saw Sebastian standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Says who?" Tyler asked.

"Says Minister Emera," Sebastian responded.

Tyler frowned as he set his cup of coffee on Anna's desk. "Hnh. Since when did Emera care how long Anna and I worked? And why didn't Remy deliver this message?" he queried.

"You know how edgy he is with the transporter system," Sebastian chuckled.

"Ever since that first time," Anna grumbled. "Second transport was complete, he upchucked on the deck..."

"Ugh, don't remind me... took forever to get the smell to go away..." Tyler commented.

"Regardless, the support staff is here, so you two need to head back planetside," Sebastian chuckled.

"Well, technically speaking, we already are planetside," Tyler jested. Anna laughed.

"Smart ass," she quipped at him. Sebastian just shook his head.

"I expect you've heard this a million times, but... you two are such an amazing couple." Tyler just shrugged, and Anna scoffed.

"Regardless, Anna and I were going over the latest batch of data," Tyler said. "We'll be fine for a few more hours."

"Says the man who preaches having a good work-life balance," Anna said with an ear-to-ear grin. "Data's not going anywhere, dear. We can take a look tomorrow." Tyler just chuckled, then as Anna rose from her seat, took her hand, and they walked toward the transporter room.

"I know I've said this before, but... this place screams familiarity to me," Tyler commented.

"And you can't help but feel like you've seen it before," Anna said. "It'll come back to you."

"I've been saying it for two years, and it still hasn't come back to me," Tyler grumbled. "Makes me feel--"

"--Like you're missing some detail," Anna finished. She stopped Tyler and turned him to face her. "Honey, you're overthinking it. Relax. Take a deep breath. The Force will lead you to an answer in time. Just be patient." Tyler sighed, then smiled.

"You're right," he told Anna. Anna smiled.

"I usually am," she joked. They shared a light laugh, a tender kiss, then resumed course for the transporter room. When they entered, the person operating the transporter console - a former-MJ12 human that Tyler knew well since the Lunar Showdown two years back, Steve - greeted them in his Australian accent.

"Tyler! Heading home for the night?"

"Yep," Tyler affirmed. "Support staff is here, and I need to get some sleep."

"We both do, baby," Anna said.

"Alright, two to beam down to Tatsu City, ready to go at your command," Steve stated. Anna and Tyler stepped onto the transporter pad.

"Energize," Tyler said. The transporter energized, and Tyler and Anna were beamed down to their home town, where they started the trek to their home.

"I gotta say, Majestic Twelve certainly did a lot of R & D," Anna commented.

"Every ruler needs a power base. Without the people... well, people like Page need something to use against them," Tyler responded.

"I forget - what happened to that guy? I know he was arrested," Anna stated.

"Ah, he was tried and convicted of terrorism, kidnapping, and attempted murder," Tyler said. "Got a life sentence, but wound up getting killed by one of the inmates."

"Hnh... considering what he did to your world, serves him right," Anna scoffed.

"Agreed," Tyler agreed. "Like I said two years ago - had that been brought before a grand jury before the cataclysm, he'd have been hanged. Or sent to a firing squad. Never mind lethal injection. Page and Simons would have been toast."

"But you wouldn't have let them off the hook that easily, would you?" Anna poked at Tyler.

"Damn straight," Tyler responded. They rounded a corner, passing by one alley near the production facility where Tyler stopped. He smiled, remembering how this was the alley he first met Anna in.

"Fond memories, huh?" Anna asked. "Looking on the alley we first met in."

"It's funny - most people meet in bars, restaurants, workplaces... some even met online, back in the day. Not us. No, we met in a back alley with me homeless and you on your way home when the Force drew the two of us together," Tyler chuckled. He looked to Anna. "Ain't it funny how these things happen? The greatest of soulmates often meet in the unlikeliest of places."

"Still, I'm proud to be the one that calls herself your wife," Anna said. "Of all the dragonesses you could have loved... you chose me." Tyler chuckled lovingly, but the two nonetheless kept trekking to their house. When they got to their house, Anna opened the door and bent over to pick up the mail. It contained the usual stuff, nothing that Anna felt she needed to worry about. She set the mail down on the hallway table. It was as Tyler walked in that a familiar voice called to them from outside.

"Tyler! Anna! Wait up!" It was Remy, holding a package in his hands. Tyler immediately saw it wasn't typical dragon mail - far from it. It had "UPS" written on the front. This made Tyler suspicious. "Council wanted me to give this to you. This came through the portal addressed to you."

"It came through the portal?" Anna asked. "That's strange."

"Even stranger that it's addressed to me," Tyler agreed, accepting the package, "let alone that it came via UPS. I didn't realize any of them were still alive. Most offices I came across were leveled."

"What is UPS?" Remy inquired.

"United Parcel Service - they're a mail service that operated in the days before the cataclysm," Tyler explained. "I didn't realize the company survived, let alone was making deliveries again." He tore a strip off the parcel and removed the contents - a single recorder device. "... the fuck is this shit?" he muttered.

"What is that?" Anna asked.

"It's a recording device," Tyler said. He popped open a compartment to see a data tape was loaded in already. "... with a recording tape loaded in already."

"Maybe whoever sent you that left you a message," Remy suggested. Tyler nodded, close the recording compartment, and hit a button. When the device played its message, Anna watched as the color drained from Tyler's face, as though he was hearing the voice of a dead man:

_ "Carter... if you're listening to this, then perhaps there's a chance to save the human race. Perhaps there's a chance to explain myself, and though I don't dare hope for too much, a chance to Tyler, if he's alive. If you can find him, to let him know that... my love for him had never faded, and how desperately I've missed him. Tyler, my son... I can't imagine what you must have been led to believe of me. After you were born, I was taken by Majestic Twelve, and reported dead. When I was taken, I faced some bitter truths. I was told that, soon enough, you would be of age, and they would have you, too. As time went by, I knew you would resist. When the cataclysm came and MJ12 left me for dead, I knew that you had either died in the nukes, or you were so far away, so well-hidden, that you would never be found by them. But now... word has come that Majestic Twelve is no more, which means that my project has an all-new meaning. Tyler, I wish I could be sending you this message under better circumstances, but unfortunately, time is a luxury we no longer have. Our world's atmosphere is deteriorating. But I cannot leave my project in anyone else's hands, Tyler - I need you. You must come to me, Tyler - if you are listening, my son... so much of my life has been wasted. I try to think of you only when I am strong because the pain of not being able to watch you grow up, seeing your accomplishments, being with your mother, our family... the pain of that loss is so overwhelming, I risk failing even now. It's just so hard not to think of you. Think of where you are. If you receive this message, then come back to Earth, bring help if you can. Whatever you can muster will be of use, and we don't have much time, Tyler." _ There was a pause before the man continued,  _ "Carter... send this message through the portal, where Tyler went. He needs to hear my voice. When he gets there, tell him of Project Failsafe, and send him to the facility in Rockland. The trail starts there. David Horgus, signing off." _ By the time David's message ended and the recording device clicked, Tyler's hands were trembling, and he dropped the device. Anna quickly caught it. Tyler was pale and his face looked as though he'd just seen a ghost.

"Honey... Tyler? Are you alright?" Anna asked. Tyler didn't answer. She placed her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Tyler, what's wrong?" Remy asked, "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Perhaps I have, Remy... perhaps I have," Tyler whispered hoarsely.

"Baby, was that your father?" Anna asked. Tyler was only able to nod. "Well, then we gotta tell the council!" Anna suggested. "If your father is asking for help..."

"The council has already gone home for the night; you'll have to wait till morning," Remy said. Tyler didn't respond, he just plodded down the hall, using the wall to support himself. It was as though he'd just been stabbed repeatedly in the gut. Anna approached him from behind.

"Honey... honey, it'll be--" she started.

"--A lifetime apart, and now he calls out to me? How did he know I'm here? How does he know I'm alive?" Tyler cut her off.

Anna gently turned Tyler to face her. Placing a hand on his cheek, she assured him, "We can ask him when we catch up to him."

Tyler frowned, then asked, "You... want to come with me? To the world I came from?"

"Yes," Anna responded. "I will not let you face this alone. Not like last time. And besides - because I am your wife, that makes your father my father-in-law. And I would not pass up a chance to meet him."

"Anna... the world I come from--" Tyler began.

"--Is a hellscape, I know. But you heard the message - your world's atmosphere is deteriorating, and that Project Failsafe sounds like a good place to start looking for a way to stabilize it," Anna said. "And you're gonna need a scientist to figure out and interpret those things."

"That's not what worries me, Anna," Tyler said. "The radiation and dangerous weather are only two concerns - we'll also be up against Raiders, Mutants, Slavers... they'll all be gunning for us."

Anna cracked a wry smile. "Then it's a good thing that you taught me how to shoot, sweetheart."

Tyler slowly smiled, then chuckled. "You really are hell-bent on being with me, aren't you?"

"Damn straight," Anna said. "I'm your wife for a reason. I promised you I'd be with you wherever your missions take you."

"You two better get some sleep, then," Remy stated. "Ten to one, Council's sending you through that portal ASAP." Tyler and Anna both retired for the evening, settled into bed wrapped in each other's arms, and quickly fell asleep.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

The next morning, Tyler and Anna reported to the council, showing them the message Tyler was sent. They were both awed and amazed. Emera was specifically interested in it, citing it as a way to potentially build real diplomatic ties to the human race. She proposed sending Tyler through the Portal to pursue this lead on Project Failsafe. Anna would go with him primarily in an advisory role and to provide scientific insight. But Emera felt they would need backup in the event they ran into the Raiders or Mutants Tyler described. In the end, the only logical choice to send with Tyler and Anna was Sebastian, owing to his familiarity with Tyler and Anna and how he could easily handle a gun. Sebastian was hesitant, at first, but quickly stepped up to the role. They all headed to a storage unit that Tyler had rented to store his equipment to load up on supplies, where Tyler outfitted Anna and Sebastian with flexible combat armor and an energy shield; Tyler, naturally, took his BR77A2 CAR; Sebastian nabbed a Disruptor Auto Rifle; and Anna picked up a Tetryon Pulse Disruptor. With their equipment picked out, Tyler, Anna and Sebastian headed for the Portal.

"Hey, Tyler - any advice for when we get where we're going?" Sebastian asked en route.

"Depends on where we end up," Tyler answered. "If I understood the message right, we're gonna start in Washington, DC, in which case: Leave the talking to me."

"Washington, DC was your world's seat of power, wasn't it?" Anna asked.

"It was the American Capital, yes," Tyler responded. "There were numerous capitals in the world - Paris, London, Berlin, Moscow... located in France, England, Germany, and Russia, respectively."

"Good vacation spots?" Sebastian queried.

"Eh, even back in the day, that would depend on what you define as a good vacation spot," Tyler said. "Sure, Paris was the very definition of vacation getaway, and London had some neat tourist attractions... but Moscow... I'd have loved to see the Kremlin with my own eyes."

"What's the Kremlin?" Anna asked.

"One of the Wonders of the world," Tyler sighed. "Along with the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London... Those were the days."

"Look on the bright side, honey - after this mission, you may yet get a chance to visit them," Anna suggested. This elicited a soft chuckle from Tyler.

"Perhaps... but let's save my world before we explore it. And I'll warn you now - the world as it is now is a complete mess, ever since the nukes fell. Be ready." The trio approached the Portal, and Tyler stopped to view it. "And here I was thinking I'd never go back..." he muttered.

"Ain't it funny how life turns out different, huh, baby?" Anna said. Tyler scoffed, and they stepped between the pillars of that device.

"Okay, you three ready?" the technician at the controls asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Tyler affirmed.

"Okay - three souls going to Washington, DC in five..." The tech counted down, and Tyler closed his eyes. Anna and Sebastian closed their eyes, and when countdown was complete, they were whisked away, to a brave new world...


	2. Rockland Romp

Episode Two

Rockland Romp

What seemed like a blaze of light and speed for Anna was over almost as soon as it began, and she found herself in what appeared to be an underground bunker. Plastered on the floor before the portal was the symbol of Majestic Twelve.

"Hnh... was hoping I'd never have to see that symbol again," Sebastian grumbled. "Thought we nailed those bastards good on the moon."

"We did - we just didn't erase their symbols here," Tyler said. "How could we? Not like we had any--" Tyler was cut off when a fire team of human soldiers dressed in combat vests came into the room, pointing M16s at them. Anna was about to raise her rifle when Tyler extended a hand toward her. She felt the Force pushing her rifle down. He was doing the same thing to Sebastian. "Lower your weapons - we don't want to appear threatening."

"Identify yourself!" The lead NCO of the group demanded.

"I'm Tyler Horgus - I was sent a message by a man named Carter, and I am answering the message's summons," Tyler responded. He indicated Anna, then Sebastian, and continued, "This is my wife, Anna, and my best friend, Sebastian. We come in peace." The lead NCO hesitated, then lowered his weapon, motioning for the others to do the same.

"Sorry, mister Horgus - we knew you were coming, but we had to be sure. We weren't expecting you this soon," he said. "Come with us, we'll take you to General Carter." Tyler, Anna and Sebastian stepped off the ramp and followed the soldiers. "I have to admit," the NCO commented, "We didn't expect you to respond this quickly."

"Why not?" Anna asked.

"Well, given the gravity of everything that happened to Tyler when he was here, we didn't think he'd want to come back. You know, how he was branded a traitor and terrorist, the thing with Majestic Twelve," the NCO said.

"Yeah, that was MJ12's doing - not America's as a whole. But I can see why you'd think that way," Tyler said.

"Good to know you're not holding a grudge," the NCO sighed. "In all honesty, I was hoping you'd come. We're in a bad way, here. Ol' DC may be the last bastion of Civilized Humanity left on this planet. Sure, we've expanded and made great strides... but, things outside are pretty bad. Raiders, Mutants, Slavers, and all kinds of shit. Hope you brought some firepower. Did your father's message tell you how bad things were?"

"I got as much as the atmosphere deteriorating and mention of a Project Failsafe outside of my father trying to reach out to me and convince me to help and bring backup; I was under the impression that  _ General _ Carter would give me the full brief once I got here," Tyler said.

"The General did say he wanted to see you the moment you got here, so maybe he will," the NCO stated. It was then that the group walked outside the bunker, and saw the city. It looked somewhat pristine, but with a fair few spots of rubble and building remains. What differed from Tyler's experience was that the sky was not overcast with ash and dust; it was clear, and for some reason, it was  _ green _ .

" _ That _ doesn't look natural," Sebastian remarked.

"Sky's been doing that for a few months now. We get rain, sure, but we have to treat our crops with rad drugs to make sure they stay clean," the NCO said. "Been getting worse each month, too, so..."

"... So something in the atmosphere caused this, and Project Failsafe may have some way of reversing it," Tyler surmised. "And I'm assuming General Carter will have the details."

"Maybe," the NCO said as they resumed their walk. "I'm just a grunt, so I'm not authorized to know a lot - but what even I know was that General Carter was in constant contact with a David Horgus, and he was the one that brought Project Failsafe to Carter's attention." They rounded a corner that was marked "Pennsylvania Ave." and walked along a wrought-iron fence. "Truth be told, some of us wonder if it's already too late to stabilize the atmosphere."

"What do you think?" Anna asked.

"I think that General Carter wouldn't have gone along with David's plan if he didn't think it'd work. But again - I'm a grunt, and I don't know much." They approached a gate, where two soldier's stood guard armed with M4A1 Assault Rifles. It was when they stopped at the guards that Tyler got a look at the building behind the wrought-iron fence. Anna saw his face portray a decided interest in it, and bumped him.

"You okay, hon?"

"That's the White House," Tyler whispered.

"What's so special about it?" Anna asked.

"It was home to the President of the United States of America," Tyler responded. "Few get the honor of being inside. Never thought I'd get to."

"Imagine that - a poor immigrant like me! It's a miracle!" Anna jested. Tyler laughed softly before the NCO spoke.

"This is as far as I can take you," he said. "There will be someone to greet you inside. Good luck, Mister Horgus."

After the NCO and his team left, Tyler, Anna and Sebastian started crossing the White House lawn - amazingly pristine, considering the calamity that befell this world. "Imagine this - you two are the first Dragons to ever get to see the White House."

"Lucky us," Sebastian snickered.

"On your best behavior, Seb," Anna cautioned him. "Don't make Tyler look bad before his people."

"Doesn't mean I can't have a sense of humor," Sebastian said.

"Admirable your composure may be, Seb, this is a serious situation - we should treat it as such," Tyler stated.

"Yeah, I get that," Sebastian assured him. They walked up the steps and into the White House proper. Just inside was a human female that Tyler evidently recognized.

"Lisa! Fancy meeting you here!" he greeted her.

"Tyler?" Anna asked, "Do you know this woman?"

"Long time ago - saved her and her parents some two decades before I met you," Tyler said.

"I have to admit, I didn't quite believe it when General Carter said he was gonna contact you to save the world," Lisa responded. She looked to Anna. "Friend of yours? She's got that look." Anna had to restrain herself from swatting this woman upside the head.

"Lisa... that's my wife you're addressing," Tyler told Lisa. She immediately looked embarrassed.

"Oh god! I am so sorry! I didn't realize you two were married!" she apologized. Anna paused for a moment, blinked, then adopted her husband's cool demeanor.

"It's quite alright - take it from me, even after a year and a half married to Tyler, there are still people that don't realize we're married; guys like to woo me all the time. And that's where I'm from; I hadn't expected anyone  _ here _ would know about it," she said.

"But, as much as I'd love to chat, we were sent here to see General Carter," Sebastian said.

"Right, please follow me," Lisa responded. She lead the group through the marvelously-preserved halls to an oval-shaped room, where a man in a tuxedo was chatting with an older gentleman in a olive drab uniform. The older man noticed his tuxedo-wearing companion's gaze, and looked over his shoulder, then turned to face Tyler, Anna and Sebastian, where Anna saw a deep scar over this man's left eye, which had apparently been replaced by a cybernetic ocular implant.

"I must admit, Tyler, you're a spitting image of your father," the man said.

"Growing up, I got that a lot. Am I correct in assuming you're General Carter?" Tyler asked. The man nodded. "I apologize for not bringing more, but I felt a small team would stand a better chance than a full squad." Tyler indicated Sebastian, then Anna as he said, "This is my best friend, Sebastian, from the Dragon Police Department... and this is my wife, Anna."

"Your wife?" Carter repeated. He scoffed, smiled, and remarked, "Your daddy's gonna be thrilled he has a Dragon daughter-in-law. Speaking of which, I assume you heard where he wanted me to send you?"

"Rockland," Anna responded. "Where is that?"

"And what is Project Failsafe?" Sebastian asked.

"First off, Rockland's to the Southwest of here - an old military installation. The problem, you understand, is that the area is overrun by raiders. I expect that won't be too much for you three to handle, given your attire and equipment; second, None of us know what Project Failsafe actually is. We know it was your father's contingency plan if MJ12's experiments began to affect the environment, and it seems now is the time to use it - that being said, all we have is what your father told us, which wasn't much. We assume it is a way to stabilize the atmosphere, which MJ12's experiments have terminally screwed up. We just don't know."

"Father said something about how the trail starts at Rockland?" Tyler inquired.

"Yes, your father didn't want to take the chance that someone other than you would find his base, so he set up a transporter trail - said you'd know how to follow it. We don't know where he's basing his operation from, so you have to follow the trail to find him," Carter explained.

"Mom always did say dad liked to plan for the worst," Tyler sighed.

"Ever since that run-in with Majestic Twelve," Carter commented. "Still, there's the raider problem over in Rockland. I don't think you'll have an issue with them, but you might want to stock up on supplies here in DC while you can."

"A good idea," Tyler agreed. "Force knows when we'll get another chance."

"Indeed - and I don't fancy any of us starving out there," Anna remarked.

"Yeah, let's stock up on food and water while we're here," Sebastian chimed in. "Maybe pick up some backup weapons, too."

"I'll send word down to the market," Carter said. "Good luck out there, you three; I look forward to whatever you bring home." Carter snapped off a salute to Tyler, which Tyler returned, before he, Anna and Tyler headed down to the market. After picking up some provisional supplies, Anna managed to equip herself with an AKMS, while Sebastian snagged an MA5D. They then packed their supplies and equipment into their emitters, and then started the trek toward Rockland. On the way, Tyler educated Anna and Sebastian as much as he could on Rockland based on his previous experience there - though he admitted he had no idea it had a transporter system. He speculated that either he missed it or it was placed there after he left for the Dragon World. Either way, he wondered where it'd take them - to another part of America, perhaps? Or maybe to Africa? Europe? He didn't know. But he was excited at the prospect of seeing such places - assuming any survived more or less intact.

The trip to the southwest would have taken days, had Tyler not summoned a vehicle to make the crossing in hours. Once they were clear of the city, Tyler called up a device from his transporter buffers that summoned a wheeled vehicle that ran on Fuel Cells that could be recharged from nearly anything. That made the trip to the Car Tunnel adjacent to the Rockland Installation much faster, even with Tyler circling around pockets of radiation. On arrival to the Car Tunnel - which was caved in at the entrance - Tyler had everyone pile out and stored the vehicle in its summoning device, and they walked inside a service entrance. The hallway was beyond was metallic and narrow - so much so that they had to move single-file down the hall until they came into the tunnel - which had numerous piles of dusty rock and warped steel. The far end was sealed off by another cave-in, but fortunately, Tyler, Anna and Sebastian didn't have to go that far to find another service hallway that went to another series of service routes that eventually lead to the open air and the cut-off roadway that lead straight to a military installation in the distance. The place had several massive communications dishes, which lead Anna to suspect it was some sort of Communications Facility.

The road, however, was not empty - numerous barricades manned by nasty-looking raiders. Downside, there were a  _ lot _ of them. Upside, their equipment consisted of ratty armor pieced together from common materials and weapons that were just as likely to jam as fire a single shot. Tyler, Anna and Sebastian took cover behind a boulder - which, thankfully, obscured them enough so that they wouldn't be spotted by the raiders.

"How do you want to play this, hon?" Anna asked. Tyler knew he, Anna and Sebastian could take these raiders - but doing so would take a good chunk out of their ammunition reserves, and they had a limited supply. He looked to his left, and saw a path in the dirt and grass that ran parallel, but  _ beneath _ the road. It was walled off by some makeshift barricades, but Tyler and his companions would have little issue getting by it. He pointed in that direction.

"We slip by their perimeter guard - if I have these raiders figured right, that path will be almost completely unmanned, and we can follow that path all the way up the road to the compound," Tyler said quietly.

"Then the raiders would see us, and they'd have the high ground," Sebastian responded.

"Not if we stick to the wall beneath the road," Anna suggested. "We stick to that and stay quiet, they won't know we're there."

"They'd still spot us getting over their barricade," Sebastian offered.

"Unless they were too distracted to notice - the Force can have a strong influence on weak-minded dipshits like this lot," Tyler said. "I know a few tricks to keep them... 'occupied'." Sebastian paused to consider this, then nodded, flipping Tyler a thumbs-up. He and Anna made ready to move, and Tyler drew up a Force Apparition from his mind and had it go up on the rock. It bellowed such a earth-shaking roar, it didn't just distract the Raiders at the barricades - it froze them with fear. Tyler, Anna and Sebastian dashed for the dirt path, climbing over the barricades and sticking to the concrete face beneath the road while the Raiders had their attention fixed on the creature before them. This meant they had a small window to slip by the raiders while their attention was held. And they took advantage of that. They moved along the path, until they came to a facility, where there was a smaller path that went to the side of the facility. The facility itself had a walkway that went across the facility front, where there was a big, gaping hole. The raiders stationed there never saw Tyler, Anna and Sebastian when they smashed them in the face with the butts of their rifles. They dragged them to a secluded corner, then proceeded inside the facility.

"That went well," Anna commented.

"Don't count on the rest of this op being that easy," Tyler said, racking a round into the chamber of his BR77. "That part saved us a lot of ammo that can be put drilling Raiders in here; police corpses, store anything we can use. We'll need to get used to doing that."

Sebastian unslung his Disruptor and yanked the Charging handle. "Got it," he said. Anna unslung her Tetryon Rifle and did the same.

"I got point," Tyler muttered. He slowly opened one door, peering through to see an empty room. He looked around briefly, then headed inside, leading Anna and Sebastian up a flight of metallic stairs, and on getting to the top, they ran across their first hostiles. The raiders were surprised to see two dragons with weapons, and it made them hesitate fractionally; Tyler was the first to raise his gun and fire; Anna and Sebastian followed suit immediately. As soon as those raiders were down, they took positions on either side of the door they were positioned near, waiting for a counterattack. It never came. Tyler kept his weapon leveled at the door, and had Sebastian open it. When he did, it revealed an empty hallway, which Tyler proceeded to walk down, keeping his rifle leveled and ready to fire. Anna and Sebastian followed close, keeping their own weapons raised. They moved down the hall, and came to an opposing stairway. With nowhere else to go, they descended the stairs, where they came across a fire team of raiders armed with pipe rifles - who were then dispatched easily. They continued to a room filled with debris and clutter, ascended the stairway there, came to a server room, and then a computer room beyond that, which was guarded by yet another team or raiders. Tyler went to work accessing the computer mainframe while Anna and Sebastian stood guard. Surprisingly, the raider presence inside the facility was considerably lighter than what was outside.

"How much longer, Tyler?" Sebastian asked. "Your distraction outside will only last so long..."

"I think I got it," Tyler responded. Moments later, a compartment of the floor dropped and parted like a door, and a transporter pad rose from the aperture along with a control panel facing the inside of the pad. "No wonder I missed it - it was under the floor!" He stepped onto the pad, accessing the panel. "Hm... interesting."

"What?" Anna asked. "Something wrong?"

"Not unless you have something against a foray into the Egyptian desert," Tyler responded.

"Egyptian...?" Sebastian repeated.

"Yep - that's where this pad's taking us. Giza, Egypt," Tyler said.

"Honey, didn't you mention something about that on the way here?" Anna inquired.

"Yeah, the site of the great Pyramids of Giza," Tyler answered.

"Great - not only are we saving the world, we're seeing it's historical landmarks," Anna commented sarcastically. "Remy would have a field day with that..."

"Well, if that's our next destination, I--" Sebastian was interrupted by a distant jumble of war cries. It sounded like the raiders that had been outside. "Better get moving," Sebastian said as he hopped onto the transporter pad. Anna got on, and Tyler initiated the transport. The trio was beamed away, and after the transport was complete, the transporter pad lowered and disappeared beneath the floor, and the computer erased any logs of its use, as though it never were...


	3. Pharaohs and Aliens

Episode Three

Pharaohs and Aliens

Desert. A vast desert, stretching as far as the eye could see, that's the sight that awaited Tyler, Anna and Sebastian as they went through the transporter buffer and wound up in Egypt. Then the transport was complete, Sebastian's jaw dropped. "Tell me we don't have to cross that..." he requested.

"I hope not," Tyler said. "We don't have supplies to cross  _ that _ much desert. There must be--"

"Uh, honey..." Anna spoke, bumping Tyler. Tyler looked to his wife, only to see she was looking at something in the  _ other _ direction. Tyler and Sebastian turned around, and greeting them was the sight of three pyramids, standing over the vast desert, perfectly intact. "Is that...?"

"The Pyramids of Giza... yep," Tyler finished Anna's statement. "Remarkably intact, too. I wonder if this region got hit by the nukes at all..." He got out a portable scanner, and ran a scan. Not long after, he reported, "No... no radiation, very minute traces of ash and carbon monoxide... it's almost as if this place was never hit. Strange... I'm getting an odd power signature coming from that big pyramid." Tyler looked up at it. " _ Something's _ in there."

"Could be our next transporter pad," Sebastian suggested.

"Could be," Tyler agreed.

"Well, that makes this simple," Anna said with a smug smile.

"I wish you'd quit saying that," Tyler muttered as he reloaded his BR77 and started for the pyramid. Surprisingly, the grounds around the pyramid were devoid of any activity. Nevertheless, the trio kept their rifles out in the event they ran into resistance. They had almost circled the entire perimeter of the pyramid when they spotted an entrance - and it was not unguarded. Two men stood guard, wearing what looked to be armored Egyptian attire. It reminded Tyler of a movie he'd once seen.

"Think they'll give us any trouble?" Sebastian asked.

"More likely, they're guarding their king or something, who's inside," Anna suggested.

"Around Egypt, the kings were known as Pharaohs," Tyler corrected her. "But I get what you're implying. Weapons safetied - let's see if we can't seek an audience." The three of them approached the guards, who, on sight of them, pointed his staff weapon at them, shouting in a language Tyler didn't recognize. "Easy, pal - I don't want any trouble," Tyler said in an effort to calm the guard. They both continued shouting, and pointing their weapons at Tyler and his companions. No matter what Tyler said, they wouldn't back down; either they couldn't understand him, or they didn't care. Tyler was two steps shy of incapacitating them with the Force when a voice cried out from behind them, evidently in their language. Immediately, both guards knelt down with their weapons planted vertically in the ground.

"I apologize for my guards'... over-zealousness. They are rather... new, to this post," that same voice said. Tyler found the accent, the tone, and the inflection to be familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd heard it before. Still, he, Anna and Sebastian turned to see another human, a light-skinned one with no hair, dressed up almost as cliche as the Pharaohs of old seen in movies, approaching them with what appeared to be his royal guard.

"No need to apologize for them, your majesty - they're just doing their job," Tyler said with a bow, motioning for Anna and Sebastian to do the same. They both bowed.

"I admit, I was not expecting visitors today - or at all. You, Tyler Horgus... you, I am familiar with. Your reputation precedes you here. But your companions... I am not familiar with their kind."

"I'm Anna, your highness," Anna spoke. "I'm Tyler's wife. The other with us is Sebastian, our best friend. Sebastian and I are Dragons from Dragonland."

"Are you, now?" the Pharaoh asked. "Admittedly, I had thought your kind was mythical. An honor to meet you, Anna." The Pharaoh's attention returned to Tyler. "Pleasantries aside, I am curious - why were you trying to enter my pyramid?"

" _ Your _ pyramid?" Sebastian repeated.

"It is the Pyramid I came from, when I came to rule this land... I'd say that makes it mine," the Pharaoh responded.

"We were investigating a power signature our equipment detected inside - we thought it might be something of interest to us," Tyler said.

"That does not surprise me - many treasure hunters detect such inside. All who enter are never seen or heard from again. The gods whom I descend from do not take kindly to trespassers," The Pharaoh sighed wearily.

"In other words, they entered this place without your consent," Sebastian surmised.

"That is correct," the Pharaoh affirmed.

"Well, then, we don't want to offend the gods - we would seek your permission to enter the Pyramid," Tyler said. The Pharaoh hesitated, but regained his composure quickly.

"I shall beseech my ancestors to allow you passage inside," he stated. "But do understand, it may take time."

"We understand, Pharaoh," Tyler responded with a nod.

"Now, come. We must celebrate," the Pharaoh said, turning toward the city in the distance.

"Celebrate?" Anna asked, "What for?"

"You three are the first outsiders to ever come to us - no one in the last four hundred years since I came here has ever come here, outside of the treasure hunters I mentioned that seek to plunder my pyramid. This region is very... isolated," the Pharaoh said. He indicated a field of crops in the distance. "We have to grow everything we eat, breed our own livestock... getting harder, I'm sorry to say, with the atmosphere being as strange as it is these days."

Tyler noted the lush green and the evident health of the livestock. "You seem to be doing well for yourselves," he commented. The Pharaoh shrugged.

"We try," he said nonchalantly. "We have the blessings of the gods."

"That... reminds me," Anna spoke up, "You seem to be thriving here in the desert, while communities elsewhere are struggling. How is that?"

"As I said, we have the blessings of the Gods; we have been chosen to inherit Gaia when all others perish," the Pharaoh said proudly. Anna noticed a pronounced change in her husband's facial expression at the Pharaoh's comment. "The others you mention - they struggle because they lack faith in the Gods. They struggle because they cast aside their origins."

"Whereas you and yours put your faith in your gods, and were rewarded - when atomic fire scorched the rest of the world, you and yours were spared," Tyler stated diplomatically. The Pharaoh made an approving gesture toward Tyler.

"You catch on quickly; I'm impressed. I hadn't expected an outsider to have such a view," he said. "I think you and your companions would fit in well, here."

"You said you came out of that Pyramid four hundred years ago, yes?" Sebastian asked.

"That is correct; I was sent here to guide these lost souls to salvation - to rebuild their broken world. But not all seek my enlightenment - and the Gods grow weary. They have communicated to me that soon, this world shall burn, and only the faithful will be preserved," the Pharaoh affirmed. Anna detected yet another change in Tyler's facial expression. He knew something - or suspected it.

"You mentioned a celebration tonight - when did you intend to hold it, may I ask?" Tyler inquired.

"Nightfall!" The Pharaoh responded with evident glee. "You must taste our nighttime celebrations. They truly are without equal."

"I look forward to it - but until then, is there someplace we can rest?" Tyler queried.

"Of course," the Pharaoh responded. He looked to one of his guards. "Escort them to our tavern - and tell the tavernkeepers that they are to treat our guests as they would me." The guard nodded, and the Pharaoh turned to face them. "Now, you will excuse me - I must commune with the gods. They may grant you entry for your errand. But I hope you will come to stay among us - our people could use minds like yours." He then headed for the palace in the distance while Tyler, Anna and Sebastian followed the guard toward the supposed tavern. While they conversed, Anna spoke quietly to Tyler.

"Honey, you reacted strangely to the Pharaoh's comments - what's wrong?"

"I don't think everything is as it seems here," Tyler responded softly. "This seems more like a religious brainwashing camp than a city of survivors. That Pharaoh spoke like the religious head of a brainwashed cult; There was another person, I remember, in history that was just like that: Man named David Koresh. Spoke just like the Pharaoh, like he and his people were God's Chosen disciples." Tyler paused, making sure that the guard was still busy before continuing, "This place feels a lot like that ranch David Koresh and his followers stayed at - only I get the impression the Pharaoh has no intention of letting us leave. A ruler doesn't throw a party because intelligent outsiders show up and show him respect when they're caught trying to get inside his temple - and for another, a Ruler should know the name of the world he's on; he called this place Gaia - it's actually known as Earth. Topping that, he said the Pyramid was his, and anyone who's ever entered there is never heard from again - that's a standard scare tactic for when you want to hide something in a structure as ancient as a Pyramid like that."

"You think he means to enslave us?" Anna asked.

"Enslave wouldn't be the right word - you saw how he treated us. He's throwing us this big party, seemed to agree with our request to gain entry to the Pyramid, he appeared modest when we complimented his crops, he was practically beaming with pride when he was talking about his subjects as the Gods' chosen people - something tells me he's gonna try and give us every reason to stay, then slip something in our drinks when we're not looking so he can brainwash us to be his servants," Tyler explained.

"So how are we gonna get into that place? The Pharaoh's guards are sure to be watching us," Anna whispered.

"They won't be watching us when the celebration kicks off," Tyler said. He produced three disk-like items. "These are holographic deception devices; they can be programmed with our personalities. We can leave these here as us for when the party kicks off, but they'll only last a couple hours, at most, so we'll need to be quick. Even so, we cannot kill anyone at the pyramid grounds - to do so would tip off the Pharaoh that we're there."

"The Force will come in handy with stealth and distractions, right?" Sebastian asked. Tyler nodded, then shifted his gaze in time to see the tavernkeeper approach. He was quick to smoothly hide the devices.

"Your rooms are ready. Please follow me," the tavernkeeper said. She turned and led the team upstairs. "Tyler, Anna, because you two are married, you two get to share a room. The Pharaoh trusts you won't mind."

"We don't," Anna responded. "We're quite familiar with living together." The trio walked to the rooms, where Tyler and Anna were directed to one very cozy and spacious room that could easily accommodate two people, where Sebastian was directed across the hall to a room for one. As soon as the tavernkeeper left, Sebastian walked into Tyler and Anna's room to see Tyler at a desk working on the devices and Anna looking over his shoulder.

"We'll need to be ready for when this kicks off," Tyler said, "We don't want to be caught flat-footed."

"The Pharaoh guy certainly is hospitable," Sebastian commented. "These rooms are very comfy, for a compound like this."

"Of course they are - we aim for being the pinnacle of hospitality in the desert," came the Pharaoh's voice in the doorway. Tyler nearly jumped out of his skin hearing him, and his lightsaber went active. Anna immediately put herself between him and the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh seemed a bit taken aback.

"My apologies for my husband's demeanor - he tends to be easily startled," Anna apologized to the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh smiled.

"I, likewise, apologize for startling your husband - in hindsight, I probably should have knocked before I came in," he said. "Still, the gods are curious, as am I - you said earlier you were investigating an energy signature when you were caught trying to enter my Pyramid - what kind, may I ask?" As the Pharaoh spoke, Tyler noticed a subtle flicker in the Pharaoh's body - almost like a tiny burst of static. But his voice was calmer and well-modulated when he answered:

"To be honest, Pharaoh, we're not sure - we'd never seen this kind of signature before. Our scans couldn't penetrate the exterior of the pyramid, and you caught us before we could get inside to pinpoint the exact location of the signature. That being said, we  _ do _ know this energy signature is not consistent with Human Technology, both pre- and post-war."

"Alien technology... and you think it's inside my Pyramid? That's... disturbing. I must relay this to the gods; they might know more," The Pharaoh said.

"We will await your word, Pharaoh," Tyler assured him.

"Ah, but you are coming to the celebration, yes?" The Pharaoh asked. Tyler smiled.

"Definitely."

"Then we will see you there," The Pharaoh said as he walked away. There was a long pause as they listened to the Pharaoh's footsteps fading before Tyler finally spoke:

"Tell me you guys caught that."

"If by 'that' you mean that subtle flicker, then yes, I did," Anna answered.

"I did, too - but what was that?" Sebastian asked.

"He's using a holographic disguise," Tyler explained. "My guess would be an alien disguising himself as a human to gather as many slaves as he can. More reason we should get the hell out of here." He returned to work on the devices. "I say we head out when the celebration kicks off - the hologram versions of us can go to the party, while we head for the Pyramid."

"Agreed," Sebastian chimed, "This place is giving me the creeps already."

"Same here," Anna agreed. They all worked on the holographic deception discs, and then planned their approach to the Pyramid. It was nearly nightfall when they set things in motion - the Pharaoh came for them just before sunset, and was greeted with the three hologram versions of Tyler, Anna and Sebastian. The Pharaoh neither hesitated nor questioned the holograms, willingly walking with them to the city proper. Once they were out of earshot - and definitely out of sight - the real Tyler, Anna and Sebastian, under the stealthy guise of their personal cloaking devices, jumped out of a window and landed softly on the sand in an alley. They then turned and headed for the Pyramid in the distance, avoiding guards and any kind of light source that'd give them away. It wasn't until a full hour had passed that they arrived at the base of the pyramid. They easily scaled the wall, and came to the entrance they were stopped at the first time - only this time, it was unguarded.

"Ten to one, the guards are in town, watching our holograms like hawks," Sebastian whispered.

"What I'd give to see the look on their faces when they realize they've been watching holograms..." Anna chuckled.

"Stow the chatter - let's just get out of here," Tyler growled. They headed into the pyramid, and were met with narrow, unguarded halls made of a reinforced stone and lit with torches. Anna got her scanner out and scanned for the energy signature she detected before.

"According to this... the energy signature is a few levels above us," she reported.

"I guess we're going up, then," Tyler remarked. They moved through the eerily-silent halls, where they came upon a large chamber with a large alien arch device that stood in stark contrast to everything in the pyramid. It was hooked up to what appeared to be a portable power source. They slowly entered the room, which, aside from the alien arch that glowed red with energy, was entirely empty.

"What the hell is that thing?" Sebastian mused. Anna approached a console, and brought it to life. It lit up with runes and hieroglyphs that she immediately recognized - she'd seen them before, in that lunar base Majestic Twelve had taken over.

"If I'm understanding this readout correctly... it's a Cell Revitalization Device," Anna said. "According to the logs... this thing has been used repeatedly over..." she looked to Tyler and Sebastian. "... four hundred years."

"So... this is how our pharaoh was able to stay alive for four centuries," Tyler commented.

"And the treasure hunters that vanished here... they probably ran afoul of the Pharaoh's guards when they stumbled across this thing," Sebastian commented. "He didn't want his subjects to realize he's not the god he claims to be."

"It certainly was an annoyance, every time another of those damned treasure hunters came in here - some nearly got away," the Pharaoh's voice said from the doorway. The three turned to see him standing there, alone.

"You're not a god, are you?" Anna asked.

"Never was," the Pharaoh answered. "You humans can be so impressionable when you're desperate. But I wasn't lying when I said I'd been here four centuries. When I arrived, this was a hellscape. I carved it into something magnificent - and I aim to do so elsewhere in the world."

"You do realize this world is degenerating? A few years, give or take, the atmosphere's gonna vanish, and your work of art will be rendered worthless," Tyler told him.

"And why would I believe that? Because a trio of doomsayers said so?" The Pharaoh scoffed. "No, I was planning on letting you stay - but now that you know of this..." he indicated the cell revitalization arch. "... I can't let that get out. And I especially cannot let you infect my subjects with this... doomsday belief." In a flash, the Pharaoh pulled out a blaster carbine, and in a thundering blast, fired on Tyler. Tyler was caught completely off-guard, and was sent over the console.

_ "Tyler!!!" _ Anna shrieked. She immediately rushed the Pharaoh before he could bring his weapon to bear on her, and slammed her body against his. She evidently hit and damaged the Pharaoh's hologram disguise device, as it sparked and powered down, and revealed a creature Anna had never seen before, with elongated arms and neck, short legs, and a spherical head that had fleshy bulbs hanging down from it's cheeks. He raised his weapon again, and Anna whipped her tail around and smacked it out of his hand. She then grabbed the alien, smashed her skull on his, dazing him, beat him in the gut with her rifle, then the head, then threw him into the room, making sure to shoot out his knees when he came to a stop, causing him to howl in pain. She then shot his arms, and stopped when she heard Tyler's voice, looking up to see him standing up with his energy shield glowing as it recharged. Anna was heavily relieved he was okay - and realized his energy shield took the brunt of the blast. "Ever seen a creature like this, Tyler?" Anna asked.

"Indeed - I thought the voice and inflection sounded familiar - he's a San'Shyuum," Tyler answered. "Ruling race of the Covenant Collective."

"Very good," the Pharaoh said. "I came here to gather as many subjects as I could, and integrate them into a New Covenant. Not all San'Shyuum are the bad guys, you know. There are worse threats out there in the black depths. Atriox chief among them."

"Atriox? Who's that?" Sebastian asked.

"That name was mentioned in MJ12's database," Anna remarked. "Who is it?"

"A brute of a warrior that commands a faction we knew as The Banished - a collection of criminals and other traitors that were banished from the Covenant," the Pharaoh said.

"We can worry about that later," Tyler said officiously. He turned to the arch console. It was while he was turned that the Pharaoh, even with wounded arms, threw an electro-dagger at Tyler. But Tyler, anticipating this, dodged, and the dagger instead hit the console, the electricity shorting out the console and then the arch.

_ "NO!!!" _ the Pharaoh shouted. Anna was quick to put a burst into his skull.

"Nobody fucks with my husband," she growled.

"Uh, guys," Sebastian called out from the other end of the chamber. Tyler and Anna walked over him to see he was looking at a shaft that went down. There was artificial light on the other end. "Maybe the next transporter is down there?" he suggested.

"Worth a shot," Tyler sighed.

"Yeah, I don't fancy being here when the Pharaoh's subjects find out he's dead," Anna commented. They descended the shaft, and came to a well-lit room; and standing on the other end was a transporter pad like the one they saw in Rockland.

"Transporter pad inside one of the Pyramids of Giza... your dad sure knows how to pick 'em," Anna chuckled.

"Let's just get that thing running and get the hell out of here before we're brainwashed like the rest of the cultists here," Tyler grumbled. He brought the pad to life and then examined the destination coordinates. "Oh, that's just great," he commented.

"What?" Anna and Sebastian both said in unison.

"This one's sending us to Venice, Italy - another of the great vacation spots back in the day," Tyler replied.

"Any idea what to expect there?" Anna asked.

"Not a damn clue," Tyler responded. He powered on the device. "Well, come on - let's go before our subjects outside--" A shout from somewhere in the Pyramid cut Tyler off. The shouting continued until whoever was shouting exited the pyramid.

"Ten to one, they found the Pharaoh's body - let's leave while we still can," Sebastian suggested. Tyler stepped onto the pad with Sebastian and Anna, and initiated the transport. Once they'd been successfully whisked away, the console erased the data, and the device cloaked, vanishing from sight.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**


	4. Carnival In Venice

Episode Four

Carnival In Venice

Rockland was just simple - a bunch of idiot raiders jacked up on chems that were no match for the superiority and cunning of a militant human and his two dragon colleagues; Giza was sickening, but also disturbing, how a San'Shyuum wearing a holographic disguise could fool a society into thinking he was a god; when Tyler, Anna and Sebastian got to Venice, Italy, they were greeted with a sight they were not expecting in the least: A festival in full swing. People were laughing, dancing, and above all else, drinking copious amounts of all manner of alcohol.

"... The fuck?" Tyler muttered.

"Is there some annual celebration here we don't know about?" Sebastian asked.

"You got me," Anna commented. One of the celebration participants, who was wearing a rather colorful mask, peeled away from his friends and playfully skipped his way over to them. The translators caught his every word and translated his speech.

"My friends! Welcome to Venice! Come, join the celebration!"

"Celebration of what?" Tyler asked.

"Talk to Grimaldi - he can whip some masks up for you! You must join us! Celebrate while you can!" the man said, seemingly ignoring Tyler's question.

"Where is Grimaldi?" Anna inquired.

"Oh, he's at the bar! Go to him, get masks! Celebrate!" the man gleefully encouraged. With no better ideas, Tyler, Anna and Sebastian waded through the crowd of celebrating people to the local bar, and entered inside, where they found all manner of clientele drinking, laughing, and sometimes brawling. And at the bar, slumped over the counter clearly drunk off his ass, was a young Italian man, likely somewhere in his late twenties to early thirties and with a well-fit build. He somehow sensed their presence, and looked over his shoulder at them. He chuckled, then laughed.

"New faces join our Carnival!" he called out, eliciting a cheer from the bar patrons. The man motioned for them to come to the bar, which caused Tyler, Anna and Sebastian to approach.

"Grimaldi, I presume?" Tyler asked.

"You presume correctly," the man affirmed. He looked at Tyler. "I have to say, you look a lot like a friend who passed through here. And your friends... I've seen some grand costumes in my time, but those... those are some real good looks there."

Anna frowned, irritated. But, given the numerous empty bottles of alcohol near Grimaldi, she knew better than to smack him. "You may be drunk, friend, but you're not hallucinating. Sebastian and I are real dragons."

"Dragons?" Grimaldi scoffed. He paused, then continued, "Hnh. My friend said someone would pass through here with a couple dragons."

"If I may, Grimaldi... what's with the celebration?" Sebastian queried.

"Well, the world's been nuked to the stone age, and we learned that the atmosphere is disintegrating... so we figured we'd celebrate while we can! Celebrate the end of the world!" Grimaldi responded in a cheerful tone, eliciting yet another cheer from the surrounding patrons.

"Well, at least he's taking the news well," Anna commented in sarcasm.

"Then maybe I can give you another reason to celebrate," Tyler said to Grimaldi. "My father was working on something called Project Failsafe. Ever hear of it?"

"Project... Failsafe...?" Grimaldi repeated, as though the name struck a chord. "My friend... my friend mentioned that. He said... it could save humanity." Grimaldi looked to Tyler as though he finally recognized him, as though suddenly he was completely sober. "You... you're David's son, aren't you? And that means..." He looked to Anna and Sebastian. "You two are from the Dragon World...!" He cried out in excitement, then stood up proudly. "My friends! To the Salvation of Humanity!" The bar patrons cheered, although it wasn't clear if they believed Grimaldi. "Your daddy passed through here some weeks ago - said to tell you the next transporter pad is in Rome, at a fountain."

"I'm surprised you remember that, as drunk as you are," Anna scoffed.

"Hah! Your friend has some spice, it seems!" Grimaldi laughed.

"I'm well beyond friendship with Tyler - I'm his wife," Anna growled.

"Easy, sweetheart," Tyler cautioned her.

"Oh... apologies, milady," Grimaldi apologized. "David didn't mention his son would be married."

"To be fair, there was no way he could have known," Sebastian said.

"Yeah, regretfully, I neglected to send an invitation to the wedding to dad," Tyler chuckled. His sarcasm made Anna snort, keeping in a laugh.

"Really, though, Tyler, I think you got a big enough turnout, anyway," Sebastian said, also struggling to keep from laughing. "Even with the outdoor venue, the crowd nearly filled the place up; everyone and their mother wanted to be there for you and Anna's wedding."

"Oh, the price of fame," Tyler said with a faux look to the ceiling of remorse. This sent Anna over the edge, and she burst out laughing. Grimaldi laughed with her.

"Bartender! Glasses of Amaretto for the happy couple!" he shouted.

"As much as I appreciate the gesture, my friend, I will have to decline; my friends and I will need clear heads for the trip," Tyler chuckled.

"Oh, you don't want to leave now," Grimaldi said. "Look at the time." As the glasses of the aforementioned drink were brought to Anna and Tyler, they and Sebastian looked out the window and saw the rapidly-darkening skies, painting the horizon in hues of dark violet. "Rome is suicidal to be in at night," Grimaldi said.

"And why is that?" Sebastian asked.

"City's overrun by mutants," Grimaldi replied. "And without a guide, you'd quickly be overrun."

"Who would be our--" Anna started, cutting herself off midsentence. "Tell me you're joking..."

"Sorry, milady - but I'm the last person in Venice that knows Rome, inside and out. Specifically, I know the fountain you're going to. Your father-in-law was very specific. And, as you can see, I'm drunk off my ass!" Grimaldi laughed.

"You said mutants overran Rome?" Tyler queried. "What kind?"

"The ones that look mostly human, but with an inhuman hue to their skin, thick enough to deflect small-caliber firearms," Grimaldi stated.

"You've got to be kidding me... god  _ damn _ it, I thought I saw the last of those fuckers in New York!" Tyler cursed.

"What is it, hon? What's he talking about?" Anna asked Tyler.

"Super Mutants," Tyler groaned. "Being killed by them is considered mercy compared to what they typically do..."

"Now you see why it is better to go by day," Grimaldi said. "This particular breed is nocturnal... mostly. They sometimes come out on days where it's overcast, or during Rad Storms."

"That's comforting," Anna commented. She looked to her glass of alcohol, then picked it up. "Well, baby, if we're gonna spend the night in Venice, might as well enjoy it." She held her glass up toward her husband. Tyler smiled, taking up his own glass and knocking it against hers, before they kissed and took a swig of their alcohol.

"That's the spirit!" Grimaldi cheered. "Kick back and enjoy Venice! In the morning, we can get moving to Rome!"

"You realize, if we're heading to such a trouble spot, you'll need to be armed and equipped," Tyler suggested.

"I've got some, don't you worry - traded with a merchant for this sweet Adaptive Combat Rifle - 6.8 Caliber, too - and some materializing Magnesium round magazines," Grimaldi responded. Tyler almost slammed his drink down on the counter.

_ "You have an ACR?!" _ he exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"What's so special about an ACR?" Sebastian asked.

"They're very versatile combat rifles," Tyler explained. "Can be chambered in 5.56 or 6.8 calibers, the latter bridging the cap between a 5.56 and a 7.62. I wasn't aware any of them survived the cataclysm!"

"Interestingly enough, the merchant painted it as just that; a very rare rifle - lifted it from a secured cache somewhere in a place called... Las Vegas," Grimaldi said.

"Hnh," Tyler remarked, "And to think I'd been there over a dozen times and never known that an ACR was hiding somewhere in there..."

"What was Las Vegas like?" Anna asked Tyler.

"In better days, it was among the nicest vacation spots in America - even now, it's mostly intact; Vegas wasn't a priority target when everything was nuked," Tyler responded. Before Anna could respond, Grimaldi handed her, Sebastian and Tyler masks. Anna struggled a bit to get her mask on, but was eventually successful. They downed the last of the Amaretto in their glasses, took each other's hand, and joined the festivities outside. They danced, as they had at their wedding; they partook in the carnival games, with Tyler showing Anna how some of the games worked - and Anna won a few prizes she decided she was going to take home with her; they cheered and moved along with the carnival, and for a night, they forgot the world was racing for disaster. Anna felt that same passion and closeness to her husband she had felt all along, but now she felt it stronger. She remembered she loves Tyler, and he loves her. They both reminisced about days gone by, both recent and distant, they laughed, and speculated what they would say to David when they finally caught up with him. Tyler had questions he wanted answered, and Anna wanted to know her now father-in-law. They both hoped David would come with them to Dragonland, live in peace and comfort, and be a part of their lives. When they finally retired for the night, they were given a deluxe suite at a local hotel whose sign was in such a state of disrepair, gleaning the name was next to impossible - but the suite itself was a shining example of Italian luxury. Before bed, Tyler and Anna removed their masks, and Tyler stood at a balcony overlooking Venice. Anna came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her muzzle at the side of his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. For a time, they remained in silence. Then, Anna spoke,

"Honey, you ever think about raising a family?"

"It's crossed my mind many times since I married you, honey," Tyler answered. "But would you really want to be a mother? With the work we do--"

"We've been through that before, darling," Anna whispered in Tyler's ear. "I'd make time for our children. We both would." She lovingly chuckled. "And we'd tell them stories about how their mother and father met."

"Mm..." Tyler chuckled, "Tell them of their father's grand adventures across the wasteland... just downplay how dangerous and life-threatening it was all the time, till they get old enough to understand it."

"I think being a father would bring you some joy, baby," Anna said softly, "And I imagine your father would enjoy his grandchildren."

"Maybe... probably... but we've got a ways to go before we're secure enough to be parents," Tyler told her. Anna backed up, taking Tyler with her, guiding him toward the bed. Using the Force, Tyler closed the balcony door and followed Anna to the bed...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

The morning following the carnival night, Anna and Tyler awoke to bad headaches. But they soldiered through them, and rose from bed, armored up, and went to get Sebastian. He was just gearing up when Tyler and Anna came in, occasionally rubbing his temple. "If we get out of this alive, remind me never to drink that much ever again," Sebastian grumbled.

"Duly noted," Tyler agreed. "Haven't had that much alcohol since my last visit to Vegas... regardless, we should go find our guide to Rome, make sure he isn't too hung over to walk."

"Yeah, I think he drank enough to compete with Bryce," Anna chuckled.

"Yeah, Bryce would probably get a kick out of Grimaldi," Tyler sighed. Once Sebastian was geared up, they all headed downstairs to the lobby, and saw Grimaldi there, armored up in what looked like a tactical vest and armored gear, armed with - as he said the night before - an ACR. Sitting in a holster was an M1911A1 Colt Pistol.

"Oh, good - you're up," he greeted them. Strangely, he didn't seem hung over at all.

"You sure you're up for this?" Tyler asked. "You drank an awful lot last night."

"That? Bah! Nothing compared to what I've drank before," Grimaldi dismissed.

"Yeah, Bryce would definitely get a kick out of this guy," Anna commented.

"Oh, before I forget, Grimaldi, you'll probably need an energy shield," Tyler said, calling on the Force to create such a module.

"Energy shield?" Grimaldi repeated the phrase with a frown.

"Yeah - something to protect you from enemy gunfire - won't last indefinitely, but it should buy you enough time to get to cover," Sebastian explained.

"That'll come in handy, though I never knew you had such technology," Grimaldi remarked.

"Trust me, the energy shields are nothing compared to some of the other technologies he has access to," Anna said as Tyler finished summoning the module.

"Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you?" Tyler told her with a sly smile.

"Bite me, jackass," Anna lovingly jested.

"You sure you want me to?" Tyler shot back.

"You two really are smitten, aren't you?" Grimaldi chuckled as he attached the shield module to his belt and activated it. "Well, we better get moving - we've got a ways to go to get to Rome. Fortunately for you, your father left a means of transport here so you could reach Rome quickly. A Hog, he called it."

"That could mean a few different things, but let's go," Tyler responded. They followed Grimaldi to the outskirts of Venice, and immediately saw the intended transport - and Tyler recognized it as a variation of the M12 Light Recon Vehicle. "Well. Thank you, dad," he commented. he climbed in, with Anna riding shotgun. On entering the vehicle, a computerized voice spoke:

"Driver, please authenticate." Grimaldi settled into the back seat, and told Tyler,

"Your father said the access code would be one you'd know." Tyler paused, then looked at the computer console in the center dashboard.

"Access Code: Black Viking," he said. Immediately, the vehicle came to life. "Dunno how dad knew that code, but let's get moving." He put the vehicle in gear, and off they went toward Rome...


	5. Rome Ambush

Episode Five

Rome Ambush

A trip that would have taken days and maybe weeks on foot took only hours for Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi. They had to circle around pockets of radiation and destroyed roadways, but having started early in the morning, they reached Rome by midday. En route, they learned that the computerized voice wasn't just a computer - it was an AI assistant, programmed by Tyler's father to aid him. Her name was Ellen. However, as they drew close to Rome, they saw a potential snag; the sky was overcast with thick rain clouds. Though Tyler said these Super Mutants were nocturnal, he mentioned during the drive that they did occasionally come out during the day if the sky was overcast enough. Tyler parked the 'hog just shy of the city and got out, unslinging his rifle. "Grimaldi, where's the pad?" he asked. Grimaldi loaded his ACR.

"At a fountain somewhere in the city - your father said it would stand out as something that doesn't belong where it is," Grimaldi answered.

"Great - now all we gotta do is fight through a city full of mutants trying to kill us," Anna said.

"Everyone, load AP rounds - trust me, it helps against Super Mutants," Tyler commanded, loading a mag of armor-piercing rounds into his weapon. Sebastian loaded AP rounds into his MA5D, and Anna loaded AP rounds into her AKMS. Both racked a round in the chamber. "We have limited ammunition, so fire only when we have confirmed targets - keep your heads on a swivel... they're in there," Tyler told his companions. They then ventured into the ruins of Rome, walking slow and careful, keeping an eye open for anything that didn't belong or any signs of mutant activity; they only found their own twitchiness to contend with as they ventured toward the center of town. Grimaldi headed to a trolley car after half an hour of walking. "Tell me this thing is working..." he grumbled.

"What is it?" Anna asked.

"Your father said he'd have one of these things waiting and operational for us; said it'd take us to near where we needed to go," Grimaldi responded.

"How near?" Sebastian inquired.

"A block and a half, give or take," Grimaldi said.

"A block and a half away from our target destination? Convenient," Sebastian remarked.

"And necessary," Tyler told him. "Rome is a big city; we'd never find the fountain on our own before nightfall - and Rome is a city you _do not_ want to get caught in at night with the Super Mutants running amok."

"All the more reason then," Grimaldi stated. The trolley powering up punctuated his sentence. "Climb on! Let's get going!"

 _"Puny human! You die now!"_ shouted a completely unfamiliar voice. A human, but far more bulky with lime-green skin, emerged from the dark recesses of a building, charging at them with a makeshift club made from Iron Rebar and Concrete. All four of the party turned and fired a burst into him; one of them put the burst into the giant's head, and he dropped like a rock.

"There'll be more of them coming - let's go!" Tyler suggested, and hopped onto the trolley. Anna was quick to join him, followed by Sebastian; Grimaldi was at the controls, and put the trolley at full forward. It was then that more mutants came swarming out of the woodwork; Tyler, Anna and Sebastian opened fire, dropping the green-skinned bastards as they chased the trolley. For some unexplained reason, however, they stopped, and retreated indoors.

"By the Force," Anna sighed. "Those bastards..."

"They'll be back," Tyler said solemnly. "Let's just get to the next transporter and get the hell out of here before dark." He turned to Grimaldi. "Where is this thing headed?"

"I don't know," Grimaldi admitted, "I don't know where this thing is going; I only know I can get us there as fast as this thing can move."

"Which isn't very fast, apparently," Anna growled, "It'll be well past midday before this thing gets wherever it's going." Anna blinked, looking at something in the distance. "Uh... honey... what's that?" Tyler turned and saw what his wife was indicating - and he was surprised it was still intact.

"That, my love... is the Roman Coliseum," he said, "Built in ancient Roman times, and used as an arena for gladiatorial contests and many other public spectacles, among other things."

"Ten to one, that's where the next transporter pad is," Sebastian suggested. "Remember how the last one was in one of the Pyramids at Giza?"

"And the one before that was in a military installation southwest of Washington, DC," Tyler agreed. "Good thinking, Seb."

Anna poked her head out to look at the sky. "Better get there soon," she said, "Sky's getting darker. Storm's moving in, quick."

"Then we better be ready for it," Tyler stated, keeping his eyes on the Coliseum in the distance. He heaved a weary sigh, leaning on the railing of the trolley. Anna walked up beside him, giving a light slap to his back. She didn't need to say it: _You've got this._ Tyler nodded with a smile. He leaned over, and briefly kissed her lips with a smile before he returned his attention to their destination.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

It was just after midday when the trolley came to a halt at the Coliseum; Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi were ready, and all hopped off, weapons raised. The Coliseum loomed over nearby, and they all moved for it. Getting there was easy; finding an entrance was not. But they did find one, and it took them to the dark and damp bowels of the structure. It was evident that the super mutants were based out of here - there were cages with skeletons in them, weapons strewn about in ratty repair, shopping carts rigged as carriers for prey to the Super Mutants, and barrels of an unknown substance. What _wasn't_ there were the mutants themselves.

"Strange... aside from us, there's no movement," Ellen commented. "Given the size of the super mutants, I could detect them easily."

"No super mutants here? You'd think maybe nobody's home," Sebastian commented.

"Shh!" Anna shushed him. "Don't question our good fortune, just roll with it!"

"Which way, Ellen?" Tyler asked.

"Straight ahead," Ellen responded. Tyler took point, and led the team through the bowels of the coliseum. On arriving at one room, Ellen spoke: "Hold on - getting an odd reading... power signature, very faint... got it! Looks like the fountain your father mentioned is in the center of the Coliseum floor, surrounded by barricades."

"Is anyone behind the barricades?" Anna asked.

"Negative - and the transporter is evidently powered down; your father evidently didn't want the mutants trying to use it," Ellen answered.

"I think the bigger question is how the hell did he manage to get one of those _this_ deep into super mutant turf," Grimaldi commented, "They should be swarming us right now."

Tyler motioned for the team to follow as he said, "Careful what you wish for..." They moved through the room, and eventually found themselves on the coliseum floor. There, they looked up at the sky, and saw the dark clouds that had gotten darker since they'd been inside.

"That's not good," Sebastian remarked. A distant roar from the super mutants echoed to them.

"Shit," Tyler cursed. "You just _had_ to jinx us! Haul ass to the transporter!" he then made a mad dash to the transporter, and the others followed. He immediately went to the console and brought it online.

"Is it operational?" Anna asked.

"Damn right - and the coordinates are set to someplace in eastern Berlin!" Tyler responded. "I need to power this thing up - according to the readout..." Tyler paused.

"What?" Anna queried.

"Power-up will take at least ten minutes," Tyler said. he initiated the process, then took position behind a barricade. "Defensive positions! We hold here!"

"For ten minutes?!" Sebastian shouted over the cries of the super mutants. "We'll be overrun!"

"I've had worse odds before, Seb! Shoulder your rifle!" Tyler shouted back. Sebastian grumbled, but nonetheless took up position and shouldered his weapon. Anna and Grimaldi, similarly, readied themselves.

And none too soon; super mutants came swarming out onto the coliseum floor. Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi all waited until the mutants were halfway to them, then opened fire. The ugly bastards dropped left and right, and scattered when they came under fire, but there was no cover; they dropped like flies. They fell back, allowing for Tyler and his team to reload weapons.

"These ballistic weapons won't do us that much good against those muties!" Grimaldi shouted. "If they catch us reloading, we're toast!"

"Affirmative! Squad, switch to energy weapons! Grimaldi, catch!" Tyler called up a Baragwin Assault Gun and tossed it to Grimaldi, while he materialized a Type-55 Storm Rifle and held it pointed at the direction the super mutants would charge from. And they did - second wave came charging, bellowing their war cries and shouting obscenities; Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi all fired on them, sending waves of energy projectiles at them that mowed them down. They died often some paces away from the barricades, but they just kept coming - so much so that their corpses began to make a pile that they had to climb over to charge at them. And Tyler and his team just added to that pile. The mutants fired weapons at them, which glanced off the team's shields; they threw explosives, which were thrown back at them prior to detonation, indicating these mutants weren't very experienced with grenades. The second wave retreated some time after it started, and Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi took the time to reload all weapons, make sure no one was hurt, and down some water before the third wave; this time, the mutants used the corpses of their comrades as cover, and took aimed shots at Tyler and his colleagues. It was completely unexpected, then, when there was a very loud, very distinct, high-pitched whistle that sounded in the air much like a cavalry charge horn, and the mutants suddenly retreated. They did not attack further. Silence finally settled over the coliseum.

"What the fuck was that?" Anna asked.

"Damned if I know," Sebastian replied. "Let's just be thankful for the breather." The transporter in the fountain hummed to life immediately after his statement.

"Even better - let's get the fuck out of here! Everyone, on the transporter!" Tyler commanded. They all dashed onto the transporter pads, and Tyler went about operating the console.

"Anything we should know about Berlin?" Anna asked.

"Nothing I can think of off the top of my head," Tyler replied, "I'm just anxious to get the fuck out of mutant territory."

"Can't say I blame you," Sebastian said. "What happened in New York, by the way? Where you ran into the mutants last?"

"Got captured by the bastards," Tyler growled. "Almost didn't make it out alive. So you can see why I was hoping I'd seen the last of them there."

"So I imagine," Anna stated. "What did they do to you?"

"More like what did I not give them the chance to do - they prefer capturing their victims alive, and hauling them to their base, where they put them in these... vats... of something - I don't know what - that turns you into one of them. Trouble is, sometimes it doesn't take well with the people they put in them," Tyler explained. "Regardless, I was _not_ gonna turn into one of them, so I broke out, got my gear, and killed two score of the bastards as I ran out of their base. Left New York after that incident."

"Yikes - amazing you didn't have nightmares of that incident," Anna commented. Tyler finished his work, and ran the execute countdown before climbing onto the pad.

"I did," he told Anna before transport initiated. In a flash, they were all whisked away, and the pads sparked and died, leaving the coliseum with a dead piece of tech, and out-of-place fountain, and piles of super mutant corpses surrounding it all.


	6. Berlin Brawl

Episode Six

Berlin Brawl

On exiting the transporter pad from Rome, Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi found themselves in an abandoned, run-down building. Their surroundings were not immediately apparent, and the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon.

"Talk to me, Ellen," Tyler requested. "Where the hell are we?"

"Stand by... analyzing coordinates... interesting," the AI responded. "We're in Berlin - Eastern Berlin. Looks like an area left to rot and decay."

"East Berlin... great," Tyler growled. "Ten to one, our next transporter pad is on the opposite side."

"That's a hell of a walk," Grimaldi commented. "And East Berlin is not a good place to be."

"Why not?" Sebastian asked.

"Bunch of authoritarian assholes reside in East Berlin - go by Majestic--" Grimaldi began.

 _"Majestic Twelve?!"_ Tyler, Anna and Sebastian groaned in unison.

"Dam it to hell! I thought I'd seen the last of those assholes on the fucking moon!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Must be what little of MJ12 was left that wasn't able to get to Dragonland," Sebastian suggested.

"They catch us here, there's no getting out," Grimaldi said. "But if we can get across the Berlin Wall Memorial... we should be safe."

"Berlin Wall Memorial?" Anna asked.

"Long story short, the Berlin Wall was a wall that physically and ideologically divided West Germany from the socialist-ruled East Germany during the Cold War, and some years before the cataclysm, the Berlin Wall Memorial was built to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. Now it stands as a territory marker between East Berlin - apparently ruled by MJ12, plus whatever Communists survived the Cataclysm, I'd bet - and West Berlin, which I imagine is governed by whatever may remain of NATO," Tyler explained.

"NATO?" Sebastian repeated with a frown.

"North Atlantic Treaty Organization - a story for another time," Tyler responded. "Ellen, any activity near us?"

"Negative - sensors are not picking up any hostile movement in a fifteen-meter radius around us. I _am_ picking up a lot of radio chatter, though," Ellen answered.

"Then they may already know we're here," Tyler growled. He unslung his BR77A2. "Ballistic Weapons - MJ12 won't have the numbers the muties did, so conserve the energy weapons for if and when we run out of bullets." Everyone switched to their ballistic weapons and followed Tyler as he cautiously made his way out into the slums. The area was darkening, fast, and every so often, there was a lamp post that lit up the night. "Ellen, which way?" Tyler asked.

"Veer to your left, follow it to a street, and take another left; I'm reading a vehicle that might be able to get us to the Berlin Wall quickly," Ellen responded. Tyler and the team turned left down a path, following its twists until it took them to a street. They then hooked another left, and followed the street to find yet another M12 LRV. However, on approaching it, they immediately hit a snag - all four tires had been shot out.

"Tires are dead," Tyler growled. "And there's no way in hell we'll make the Berlin Wall on foot before what's left of MJ12 was on us."

"Not like we have a choice, Tyler - we've come too far to turn back now," Sebastian said.

"I know," Tyler grumbled.

"We may not have to traverse that whole distance on foot," Ellen stated. "I've managed to infiltrate local surveillance systems, and I've spotted another vehicle - it's guarded, but lightly, and has capacity for all of you. The vehicle is to the north, not far from here; if we move now, we can eliminate the guards and steal the vehicle before local forces return for it."

"Good to know," Tyler growled as he moved along Ellen's suggested heading. The lot stuck to the darkness, and eventually came to the spot where the vehicle was kept. It looked a lot like a pickup truck, but armored, bulky, and with a very big machine gun in the back bed.

"Hellbender," Tyler chuckled. "Gotta love that."

"Good vehicle?" Anna asked.

"As good as they come - armored, sturdy, and with speed beyond a truck that heavy," Tyler affirmed. "Never did understand how Axon Corporation pulled that off. But that will get us to the Berlin Wall relatively quickly."

"Great - let's go," Anna said, starting to rise from her hiding spot. She was quickly pulled back down.

"Get down!" Tyler whispered. "We do this, I wanna do it without alerting MJ12 that we're here! Rifles slung, melee only! We take these guys out quietly!" The team all slung their rifles and crept up on the three guards that were smoking cigarettes. The first one was in an outlying area, and was dispatched by Sebastian before he realized he was there. Sebastian quietly dragged his body to a secluded bush; the next was chatting with his buddy between puffs of his cigarette, and they both were grabbed - one by Grimaldi, who snapped his neck, and the other by Anna, who covered his mouth and slit his throat with her claw - and then dragged into that same bush. They searched the bodies, and one of the guards had the key. Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi all climbed into the Hellbender and brought it to life while Ellen interfaced with the systems.

"Interesting... the architecture is not all that dissimilar from the environment I was programmed in," Ellen commented. "Give me a moment... I think I can access MJ12 comms from here."

"Knowing what the hell they're chattering about would be an interesting topic," Anna commented. There was a long pause as Tyler drove and Ellen worked on getting into MJ12's communications. It startled Anna out of sleep when the AI proclaimed, "Got it!"

"Got what?!" Anna responded, irritated.

"I have access to Majestic Twelve's comms," Ellen reported.

"And?" Tyler asked.

"It's not good - they knew we were coming, but they don't seem to know we're here yet," Ellen answered.

"We should keep it that way," Sebastian suggested.

"My sentiments exactly," Tyler agreed.

"Hold on... new traffic on the MJ12 comms," Ellen interjected. "They know this vehicle was stolen - apparently, a team of MJ12 troops was elsewhere when we took it, and they've reported the Hellbender as stolen. They don't seem to realize we have it, though - they're chalking it up as having been stolen by locals."

"Can they track us?" Grimaldi inquired.

"Negative - I disabled the tracking beacon when we stole this vehicle. Curiously, they don't seem to realize I deactivated it," Ellen replied.

"Let's see how far we can get before they catch us," Tyler said.

"That's gonna be problematic, sir - radio chatter suggests that MJ12 have conscripted a group of local commandos to keep us from reaching the Berlin Wall - a bunch that call themselves the Waffen-SS-R," Ellen reported.

"So they _did_ reorganize after the Cataclysm," Tyler muttered. "I'd hoped they burned with the rest of them when the nukes fell."

"Who are they?" Anna asked.

"Waffen-SS were a Military Branch of the Nazi German SS during the second World War - real nasty bunch," Tyler elaborated, "There were rumors before the Cataclysm that a bunch of Neo-Nazis were trying to bring the Nazi Party back - the Waffen-SS-R was their military arm, the R supposedly meaning Reborn. Seems they did reorganize, after all - though I wonder how well-equipped they are. Whatever the case, MJ12 must be spread thin if they have to rely on groups like that to enforce their will."

"Let's just hope we can get to the wall before they catch on that we're here," Sebastian said. They continued driving until they came across an obstacle - much too large to drive the Hellbender through. They all got out and approached the pile of rubble, and unslung their weapons.

"Hellbender would be too noisy driving over this," Tyler said. In the not-too-far distance, he saw the Berlin Wall Memorial. "Berlin Wall's not far - we hoof it from here," he told them. He then started moving for the wall, keeping his weapon leveled and ready to fire. Anna followed close behind, followed by Sebastian, with Grimaldi bringing up the rear. Tyler moved cautiously, his eyes darting from one shadow to another. MJ12 knew he was here - even had local groups hunting for him. He imagined his father would have had a tough time getting through them to West Berlin - they should have been swarming all over him here. So where the hell _were_ they? What were they waiting for? They knew Tyler was going for the Berlin Wall - why weren't they coming swarming out of the woodwork? It didn't make sense.

A clattering of rocks among some rubble caused everyone to jump and train weapons at the source of the sound - only finding their own twitchiness to deal with. They all assumed a defensive formation, waiting for an attack that never came. Just eerie silence, broken occasionally by a hollow whistling of the wind. They all felt eyes boring into the backs of their heads - someone was _watching_ them. They broke formation and headed for the wall in the distance at a more quickened pace, wanting to escape before--

\--But as they passed near a building, they suddenly came under attack. Automatic weapons fired from the direction of the Berlin Wall, forcing the team into a building with a blown-out wall facing the Berlin Wall. "Son of a bitch!" Grimaldi cursed as he took cover. "Bastards were waiting for us here!"

"No wonder they didn't try to stop us; they wanted us to walk straight into the meat grinder!" Sebastian shouted over the gunfire.

"At least they aren't firing MG42s at us," Tyler commented.

"How do you know?" Anna asked. "They could have those tucked away somewhere!"

"If they had MG42s, they'd be firing them at us right now!" Tyler shouted. "It's a damn good suppression weapon!"

"They still gotta run out of ammo sometime," Grimaldi suggested.

"Wouldn't bet on that if I were you!" Tyler discounted. He rose from cover briefly to fire off a burst at the entrenched enemy.

"This won't work!" Sebastian shouted. "They're behind cover, and so are we! There's no cover between here and their position - even with our energy shields, there's too many of them entrenched over there; they'd wear down our shields and kill us!"

"I know!" Tyler growled.

"And if the main force gets to us before we get across the wall, we're toast!" Anna added.

"I fucking know!" Tyler shouted as the gunfire persisted. "We have to get across that defensive line, somehow!"

"Enemy radio chatter has increased! They know we're at the wall! Estimate fifteen minutes before the bulk of MJ12 and their conscripted forces reach us!" Ellen announced.

"Damn it to hell! We will not be stopped here!" Tyler shouted. He dematerialized his rifle and drew his lightsaber, and was shouting as he drew on his force powers. The ground quaked, and blood-red energy began pulsating around him. In a violent dragon roar, he leapt into the air, and landed in the midst of the enemy - then, he started tearing them apart. Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi all dashed for the enemy entrenchments while they were busy trying to fight off a raging warrior with a lightsaber. When they got there, they laid into the enemy soldiers, and they eventually broke and ran. When Anna got to Tyler, he was panting heavily and glaring angrily after the retreating enemy soldiers. She put a hand on his free arm and gently squeezed it.

"Honey... it's okay, they're gone," she said to him softly. He stared a moment longer, then deactivated his lightsaber and called up his rifle. He and Anna shared a nod, and they went for the gap in the wall... only to run into a force field. "Great. Just fucking great. We get all this way, only to have our path forward blocked," Anna groaned.

"This won't stop us any more than the rest of the obstacles we faced," Tyler said with determination. As it happened, a soldier wearing significantly different colors on the other side of the force field walked into view. He spoke in a language Anna didn't recognize, but when Tyler spouted something back, the man spoke in an accented English, "Who are you, and why are you trying to get to West Berlin?"

"My name is Tyler Horgus," Tyler said, "I come trying to locate my father, and we suspected the next transporter pad was somewhere in West Berlin."

"Tyler! Your father said you'd come here!" The man said. "But I can't let the force field down with enemy troops heading this way! They need to be driven off before we let you in!"

"Can you spare any reinforcements to help us with that?" Tyler asked. The man nodded, chattering into his radio. Tyler turned to his comrades. "You know what to do - defensive positions!" He commanded. They all took cover behind the barricades the Waffen-SS-R troops set up, and waited. Not long after, the MJ12 troops came charging - along with soldiers wearing Nazi colors and a number of other soldiers wearing unfamiliar colors. It didn't matter; Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi fired into them. Their bullets cut them down as they charged, but just like in Rome - and contrary to what they expected - the enemy just kept _coming_. They retreated soon after the first attack, allowing the team time to reload, after which they came a _second_ time - this time, hurling grenades, which were, with aid of the Force, hurled back at them. Some struck enemy soldiers before detonation, some detonated before hitting anyone, and some detonated mid-air, all the explosions showering the enemy formations with shrapnel. And still, Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi kept peppering them with bullets. They retreated again as a horn blew.

"We got 'em on the run! We did it!" Grimaldi shouted.

"They are not retreating! They are regrouping!" Tyler shouted. Just as he expected, the enemy came again swarming from the darkness, firing as they went. Some of the shots glanced off their energy shields, but many of the shots impacted around them. They did not throw explosives with this charge, but they did get closer before they retreated. Tyler reloaded his weapon and discovered he was dangerously low on ammo.

"I'm low on bullets!" Anna called out.

"Ditto over here," Sebastian added.

"Make that three!" Grimaldi shouted.

"Four - I'm nearly out, too!" Tyler called out. "Be ready to switch to--" He stopped unexpectedly when he heard an unmistakable rumble, the classic sound of a very big diesel engine on treads. Coming around the corner was a very large, armored tank - complete with a domed turret and a very big gun.

A Soviet T72. Tyler would have to draw heavily on the Force to deal with a tank like that. Enemy troops stuck close to the tank and peppered Tyler and his colleagues with automatic rifle fire, but before Tyler could do anything to the T72, and before it could even train it's gun on Tyler and his team, there was a _boom-pop!_ As a missile streaked straight for the tank and obliterated it, the resulting explosion slaughtering the troops grouped so close to the tank. _That was a Javelin Missile!_ Tyler thought. Following the smoke trail, he saw a group of German Commandos arrayed behind them.

"Tyler Horgus?" the lead NCO spoke. Tyler nodded. The man smiled, offering a hand. "Sergeant Jorgen, GSG-9. Caught wind you were at our gates and in a world of hurt, so my comrades and I came to lend a hand. Looks like we got here just in time."

"Good thing, too," Anna said with relief, "We were almost out of ammo." Tyler shook Sergeant Jorgen's hand.

"Thanks for the assist - and my wife isn't exaggerating. We are low on ammo," he told Jorgen.

"Wife, huh?" Jorgen chuckled with a smile. "Your father never mentioned you'd be married. Regardless, we can get you re-supplied. But I'd much prefer you get in here now - we can't keep the force field down too long." Tyler nodded, and motioned his comrades to follow him in, and no sooner than when they were all safely into West Berlin did the force field go back up.

"So who are you guys?" Sebastian asked.

"We're from the GSG-9," Jorgen told him.

"Who?" Sebastian and Anna inquired simultaneously.

"GSG-9," Tyler clarified, "German Special Forces. Good guys. You guys were probably listening in on the radio transmissions in East Berlin, weren't you?"

" _Ja_ ," Jorgen chuckled. "We knew you were coming - your father said you'd come through here trying to reach him - but we had no idea when. We didn't even realize you were here until the bastards in East Berlin started going nuts that you were at the wall. The gatekeeper merely confirmed that, and we were quick to come get you."

"You said you could get us resupplied," Anna commented.

"Oh, Ja - David speculated you'd be low on supplies, so he had us have some supplies set aside for when you came through here," Jorgen said. He paused, then commented, "I am curious - how did you wind up as Tyler's wife?"

"It's a _long_ story," Anna chuckled.

"And we have no time to discuss it - am I correct in assuming the next transporter pad is in this half of Berlin?" Tyler queried.

"Ja, it's located in out headquarters - but I imagine you lot would want some sleep, no?" Jorgen shot back.

"Some sleep _would_ be nice, after what we've been through," Sebastian said.

"Yeah - and another night cuddling my cuddly hubby on his home world would be even better," Anna chuckled with a grin. Jorgen laughed.

"You two really are Husband and Wife, Ja!"

"Better believe it," Tyler said.

"Oh, and before I forget, if we're going to supply you with ammo, we need to know what kind your weapons fire," Jorgen said after a snap of his fingers.

"Anna's using a Russian AKMS, so 7.62x39mm ammo there, preferably steel-core; Sebastian is using an MA5D - no idea how the boys in DC got their hands on that, but it fires 7x62.51mm rounds; my BR77A2 fires the same as the MA5D, and Grimaldi's ACR is chambered for 6.8x43mm," Tyler told him.

"Huh. We have an abundance of all that, thankfully - came out of an armory we raided outside Prague. Still, no problems there. Let's get you somewhere you can all rest, and you can head out in the morning," Jorgen stated. They all followed him to a miraculously well-preserved hotel, where Tyler and Anna retired to the same room, while Grimaldi and Sebastian retired to separate rooms. Tyler and Anna laid down in bed together, arms wrapped around each other, eyes locked. For a time, they remained in complete silence, until Anna kissed Tyler tenderly, then rested her head beneath his chin.

"Honey, have you thought about what you're gonna say to your father when we catch up to him?" she asked softly.

"I think one question I intend to ask is just how the hell he knew where I was," Tyler said. "But I imagine, that, if he's alive after all these years, he's pretty damn old. Still, he's the only one who can answer some of the questions I have - like where my dragon blood comes from."

"How do you know he knows?" Anna inquired.

"I don't - but I'm still gonna ask," Tyler responded. "There's a lot I want to know."

"I bet," Anna chuckled. She smiled, then added, "And I imagine it'd be amusing to him, seeing little half-dragons running around calling him Grandpa."

"Still pitching the idea of having children with me, are you?" Tyler chuckled along with her. "Do you really think I'd be a good father?"

"Of course you would - more than you give yourself credit for," Anna assured him. "And I think it'd give you some joy, raising a family." Tyler just chuckled softly.

"Still surprised you'd even consider it," he said. "When we first met, I didn't peg you for the type to want a family."

Anna laughed lightly and told him, "Any good Dragoness would eventually want a family of her own. You and I? We'd have a truly unique family."

"Just as long as our kids don't grow up like I did," Tyler sighed.

"They won't. For now, honey... let's just get some rest. We still got a ways to go," Anna suggested, snuggling up against Tyler. Tyler held Anna close, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

When Tyler and Anna woke, they kissed, then rose from bed, dressed, and came outside to find fresh supplies outside their door. They were quick to store it, and met Sebastian and Grimaldi downstairs, along with Sergeant Jorgen.

"Oh, good - you're awake," Sebastian greeted them. "Jorgen here says the next transporter pad is taking us to Paris."

"Ja, and I was telling your comrades to tread carefully; that place is in the grip of a maniacal warlord," Jorgen added.

"Tell me it's not Warlord Cypher," Tyler requested. Jorgen frowned.

"You know him?" he queried.

"Not personally - but from what I've heard, he's a real jackass," Tyler sighed. "Him and his raiders are a hell of a lot more organized than most raider factions I ever came across." He looked to his comrades. "Well, come on - let's get the trip to Paris over with." Tyler, Anna, Sebastian and Grimaldi all followed Jorgen to the HQ he spoke of the night before, down into the sublevel, and stepped onto the transporter pad. Then, in a flash of sustained light, they were whisked away...


End file.
